Dear Family and Friends,
We’d like to take this opportunity to announce the return of a former crew member to “Ma’alahi”, Miss Augie. For those of you that we’ve met since our Texas departure, Miss Augie is Claudia’s 3 lb. Chihuahua who was left behind when we began our cruising life. She has returned to boat life after her 8 month absence by stowing away in our son’s (Randy) and daughter-in-law’s (Cheryl) bags when they came to the Virgin Islands for a visit. Since the hard part of our current journey is behind us and since we’ve met other boats cruising with pets with no problems and since most countries don’t care as long as they stay on the boat and since she quickly adjusted to taking her “walks” on the foredeck (the poop deck might sound more appropriate, but the logistics are better forward so we can just hose it down when she’s done) we decided to reenlist her as permanent crew.

We’re in the 3rd week of our vacation marathon. Our daughter, Christina, and her husband, Rick, came for a week’s visit the first part of June. They got to see many of the hilights of both the US and British Virgin Islands (as much as one can in only one week) and had a really good time. Rick really took to snorkeling and Christina left with a little color in her cheeks (and shoulders, arms and legs). The day after their departure, Randy and Cheryl (and Augie) arrived. Since they will be here until June 26, they’re getting the extended tour. In addition to sunny beaches, sparkling, turquoise water and superb snorkeling, they’ve experienced a tropical wave (packing 40 knot winds) and the only squalls we’ve had while under way our entire trip.

We’ve been trolling 2 fishing lines at all times and Randy has caught 3 fish…well, 4 if you count the fish head that was landed without a body attached. Looks like a shark got the best part. Today, Randy and I scuba dived the wreck of the “HMS Rhone”, a British mail steamer that went down here in a hurricane in October, 1867.

Vacationing is much busier and demanding than cruising but I think we will both make it to the finish. We won’t have much time to rest, though. We’ll be looking for weather to get south in a hurry, before one of these tropical waves turns into something much worse. We hope to sail from Virgin Gorda directly to Guadeloupe (215 miles) or Martinique (300 miles) in one hop, but that will, of course, depend on weather. We’ll be far enough south then to satisfy our insurance company but not completely out of the hurricane belt, so we’ll continue from there to St. Vincent, The Grenadines, Grenada and Trinidad where we plan to leave the boat for awhile and fly home for a visit (maybe September or October…no definite plans yet). We’ll write again once we’re on the move.

Take care,

David and Claudia (and Augie)